St. Landry democrat., 1887-08-06
MASS MEETING IN ACADIA.
Attempt of the McEnery Men to Cap
ture Meeting which was
for Nichols.

crazy of Acadia parish, we send you
the following full report OF all the pro
ceedingS Just as they occurred:
There We're about 400 Democrats
present representing every ward III the
parish, and the courthouse being the
place and II o'clock the hour designated
in the call, they assembled there about
half past II o'clock. and the hall of the
courthouse was well filled before the
hour Of -.
A few minutes after II IN. W. {.
Chevis of Rayne called the meeting TO
order. Mr.. Chevis Immediately took
the chair, after which a number OF per
sons who. it was said, had been mean-
while holding ii caucus ut the hotel
some 200 yards distant, came in IL body
to the courthouse. After they came,
Mr. Homer Bawousse, a well known
and prominent supporter OF Governor
Nichols, was put in nomination by the
Nichols men for permanent president
of the mass meeting, and Mr.. Is. n.
Harmon was put in nomination by the
McEncry men for the same position.
Great confusion was then created by
a few McEnery men, who seemed bent
upon carrying the day right OF wrong.
A suggestion was made by some OF
the McEnery men that the hall was too
small to hold the audience, and Il mo
ton was made to 90 outside ln' front
of the courthouse to take the vote on
the election OF president and conduct
the meeting outside.
The whole crowd immediately as
sembled in front of the courthouse,
W. c. ChevlS occupying table Oh the
front gallery.
1t was then agreed that the vote
should be taken by a division, and Mr.
Chevis directed the Barrousse men to
go to the right and the supporters, of
Harmon to the left. Thereupon they
divided, about two thirds going to the
right, this being the Nichols side, and
one-third to the left, this being the
McEnery side. The chairman then APP
pointed tellers to make the count, but
the McEnery men, seeing the vote was
decisIvely against them, resorted t.
violent and noisy demonstrations to
create confusion and prevent Il count
At this juncture Burns Lyons, the
parish assessor, an appODtee of the
governor, challenged Mr.. Chevis to va
cate his seat, and he with other sup
porters of Governor McEnery used
means, even threatening to AXE or pull
him down, to intimidate and force him
to vacate the chair, and at one time in
the confusion he was down from the
table whereupon Messrs. Lewis Hayes,
J. G. Lyons, James Lyons, +. l.. Har
mon and l.. Clark Immediately put him
back in the chair, and, taking the stand
bv bis side, declared that he had been
fairly elected to open the meeting and
defied any further efforts to displace
him. Seeing their efforts futile up to
this time to get control OF the mass
meeting by violent demonstrations.
they went around the building and
were rushing through rear door into
the hall with the evident purpose of
taking possession of the courtroom,
from which at their request the meet
ing had been adjourned outside. See
ing this, the Nichols men themselves
returned to the courtroom and retained
possession, being in q large majority,
with Chevis still in the chair.
The vote was then taken and Bat
rouse elected permanent president and
s. Carte secretary and L. +. BoWden ?
assistant secretary, III the presence OF
tho McEnery men.
Barrousse Immediately took the chair
and proceeded to put the motions, and
the mass meeting then and there elected
posed of one member from each police
jury ward and authorizing the prcsi-
dent to appoint four from the parish at
large. They also passed Il resolution
the parish committee to :
appoint for Acadia Il member Of the
state committee.
This having completed the objects of
the call the mass meeting then, upon
motion duly put, adjourned sine die, the
McEnery men being present and parti-
during the whole of these pro-
ceedings, from beginning to end. The
took place about half past
| O'clock and three fOurths of the mem
bers dispersed and left the courthouse.
About half hour after this the de-
feated McEnery men sent runners
around drumming up their men, and
after getting together some fifty or
sixty persons, they held a rump mass
meeting, the proceedings of which
we're telegraphed to your paper and the
Times Democrat that evening.
The full proceedings of the mass
meeting really held will be published in
he Acadia Sentinel, in its next issue,
No resolution was offered to indorse
INV one for governor for the reasoa that
he meeting was not SCALED for any
such purpose, but the people made the
ssue in their respective candidates for
and measured by that rule
public sentiment is overwhelmingly in
:avor of Governor Nichols
The parish committee and the dele
rate elected as our representative on
he state committee are all earnest sup
)orters Of Governor Nichols.
You may safely count upon Acadia
Is being against the state administra-
ion by large majority.
Respectfully,
I. Barrousse. Thos. 2. Bowden,
[. d. Mcbride, Savlgne Carte,
Cd. Hartman, Edgar Barrousse,
Will C. Chevis, r. C. Harrington,
I. E.. Folsom, Chs. A. Perrodin,
4. Arenas, j. ID. Bernard,
T,hcc NoonntY